New Years Resolutions
by MonaCK
Summary: Bosco makes a new years resolution. Spoilers through season 5 to date.


Title: New Years Resolutions  
  
Part: 1/1  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: Through all of season 5  
  
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, they do not belong to me. If they did, I'd probably be working in my dream job at the moment.   
  
Summary: Bosco's got the New Years blues.  
  
Authors Note: I hope you enjoy Thanks for all of your feedback on all of my stories. You guys make it worthwhile for me to keep writing. This remains the longest I've ever been with a fandom, and without a doubt, the most I've ever "felt" characters from them. Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year everyone   
  
~**~  
  
"Happy New Year."  
  
If I heard that phrase one more time, I was gonna throw somethin'. I mean... really. So far, it had been a pretty damned crappy 2003. I somehow couldn't imagine that 2004 was gonna get any better.  
  
I'd managed to alienate everyone I cared 'bout. I was person non-grata at the Yokas household. My ma was even barely speakin' to me 'cause of my less than stallar attitude.. but lets face it. I had little reason to really be happy 'bout much of anythin'.  
  
Christmas... was Christmas. It had passed without much fanfare. I'd worked Christmas Eve, partnered with Monroe. It wasn't the same as bein' partnered with Faith, but seein' as I didn't see that situation comin' back to light any time in the near future, it hadda be alright.  
  
An' now, I was partnered with Monroe, workin' New Years Eve. I really hated New Years Eve. Amateur Night, I liked to call it. YOu had all the drunk jag-offs who thought it was alright to drink an' drive on this night when it's not alright -any- night of the year. I'd say... seven outta eight people we'd stopped an' arrested had been for some form of drunk and disorderly conduct.  
  
Most of the action was happenin' near Times Square. Luckily for us, we didn't haveta be down there. That was real amateur night -- what most rookies ended up havin' to do. We had the "easy" shift in our own sector.  
  
We had jus' finished with a call an' had stopped at a local diner for a bite to eat. The friendly cashier had jus' wished us well, an' it caused me to turn towards Monroe with a sigh. "So. You got any big plans for tonight?" I asked, unsure of why. I didn't even really wanna hear the story, but I supposed it was better than broodin' in silence.  
  
"Yeah," she said, a stupid, happy lilt in her voice. Why did she do that -- make everythin' sound so damned happy? "I... have a date."  
  
I quirked my brow at this. I guess it had somethin' to do with the fact that for the short time I'd known Monroe, I never knew her to be datin' anyone. In fact, it led me to wonder if it was a man or a woman she was goin' out with. However, years of bein' slapped both literally and mentally sittin' next to Yokas had prevented me from askin' the question.  
  
"Davis asked me out to a party that he's going to," she mentioned, answerin' my question for me.  
  
I turned towards her, genuinely surprised. "Davis. Really? Huh."  
  
She stopped me from walkin', pullin' me to a halt by grabbin' my arm with her hand. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
I thought 'bout this for a moment. "No.. it's a good thin'. Davis should be datin'. That DA with no personality wasn't very good for him, an' the last girlfriend I know him to be with was Alex..." Bosco's voice trailed off. That seemed a lifetime ago. "Davis is far too young to be old and bitter..." Like me, came the unanswered conclusion to that sentence.  
  
Sasha stared at me for a long moment, and then sighed. "I called her the other day," she stated, her eyes locking with mine.  
  
"Who, Alex?" I said dumbly, momentarily forgettin' that the woman had passed on. But Alex was the last person I mentioned.,.. so I thought that maybe Monroe had completely lost it.  
  
"No, dumb ass," she stated, pullin' her arm back down to her side. "Faith..."  
  
I furrowed my brow. "Why?"  
  
"Well.. when we were talkin' the other day about whether or not she was back from her trip, I figured I'd just go ahead and find out myself. So I gave her a call on Christmas day to wish her and her family well."  
  
"That's nice," I commented, movin' to walk back to the driver side of the RMP. Like I wanted to hear 'bout a happy Yokas Family Christmas. Another reminder 'bout what a loser I was. An' 'nother reminder of what I'd lost.   
  
"She asked 'bout you."  
  
This stopped me dead in my tracks. I slowly turned towards Monroe, my face stoic, not revealin' any of the rapid doggie paddlin' I was doin' beneath my otherwise calm surface. "Yeah?"  
  
"First thing outta here mouth. As soon as she heard my voice. 'How's Bosco?' she asked me. So I told her you were doin' alright. She was happy to hear it."  
  
I nodded, an' I began to walk towards the driver's side door 'gain. An' wordlessly, I got inside.   
  
An' after a moment, Monroe joined me. "You should call her, Bosco," she was sayin', as she fastened her seat belt.  
  
I started the engine.  
  
"I mean it. I think she'd really want to hear from you..."  
  
I pulled the car into gear.  
  
"Bosco..."  
  
"Monroe.. will you please shut the hell up?" I finally stated, turnin' towards her. I knew she meant well, but I didn't need this right now. It was way too much information. Even if it was information that I wanted to hear. Truth was, I missed Faith like hell, but she had tol' me to stay away. An' I had.   
  
I'd caused 'nuff trouble with their family. I didn't wanna cause any more.  
  
~**~  
  
Long after our shift ended, I sat on the bench near my locker. It was gettin' close to midnight. We'd somehow managed to make it to the end of the shift an' off in plenty of time. Monroe hightailed it out the door with Davis, off for their date. Sully was goin' somewhere -- God only knew where -- but I didn't stop to ask him. While I wasn't sure if I wanted to be alone, I knew for sure I didn't wanna be with Sully when the clock struck down to midnight.  
  
I pulled my cell phone outta my pocket, an' I stared at it. I was toyin' with whether or not I was gonna call her when I stood from the bench. I couldn't. Not after all this time. It wouldn't be right.  
  
My decision made, I headed out the door an' into my Mustang.  
  
~**~  
  
The street was deserted. Most people were either out at parties, inside their apartments, or at the madness in midtown to watch the ball drop. This was a pretty residential area, one that was more known for housin' families than loud parties.  
  
I parked my car jus' across from her apartment, an' I pulled my phone outta my pocket 'gain. I stared down at it. I probably should have called first... but I didn't wanna. I reasoned, it would be more difficult for her to reject me to my face than over the phone. Of course, the last time I'd tried that, I'd almost gotten the door slammed in my face.   
  
It was worth the risk.  
  
Monroe's words were ringin' in my ears. She'd asked 'bout me. That hadda count for somethin', right?   
  
Before I could change my mind yet 'gain, I climbed outta my car. Lockin' it behind me, I headed into her buildin'.  
  
Climbin' up the stairs, my resolve was almost lose once more. An' my pace towards her door had slowed down to a crawl as I finally reached her hallway. One foot after the other, I walked down the seemingly long corridor until I found her familiar door. I looked down at my watch. 11:50.  
  
I raised my hand, and knocked three times lightly 'gainst the wood. If she was asleep, she wouldn't answer.  
  
It took a few minutes. I was 'bout to raise up my hand to knock 'gain when I heard the click of the door. Then suddenly I was nervous. What if Fred answered...? One of the kids I could handle, but I hadn't been thinkin' 'bout her husband. Her husband truely hated me. He'd likely have me arrested for trespassin' if he didn't try to beat me into a pulp first. I was feelin' apprehensive as the door began to open -- I was beginnin' to think that maybe I should hide 'round the corner.. jus' to make sure the coast was clear before intrudin' in on the family. But then my mind was made up for me.  
  
Thank God.  
  
It was Faith.  
  
She was jus' lookin' at me. An' I was standin' there... an' I was pretty damned sure that my nervousness was written all over my face. I looked down at my watch. 11:52.   
  
"Hi," I finally said, for lack of anythin' else. It was like.. I was so shocked to be there, it didn't even register at first that Faith was -standin- there. "I... it's good.. you.. you're lookin' good, Faith... I..."  
  
She bit her bottom lip. An' she pulled the door open a little bit further. "Bosco," she finally said. "Come in..."  
  
Still unsure, I took a step towards the door. "Fred?" I asked, comin' to my senses a little bit.   
  
"Out at a party," she stated. I was 'bout to ask her why she wasn't with him when I realized how sad her eyes looked. An' her cheeks, tear stained. God. What a friggen heel I was. I was so happy to see her, I'd not noticed anythin' at all.   
  
I stepped inside, an' she closed the door behind me. The clock on the TV said that it was 11:54pm. I quickly looked back towards her. She was walkin' but it was a slow trek for her, from the door back to the couch in the livin' room. Everythin' was rearranged, I was assumin' to accomidate the now vacent wheelchair in the middle of the room. She didn't stop at the wheelchair, though. She walked over to the couch an' sat down.  
  
There was a box of tissues on the end table. An' some used ones gathered up next to it. I took 'nother glance 'round the room before movin' to sit down next to her. "I'm... sorry," I finally said, my voice a mere whisper. She hadda know by now how sorry I was.  
  
"You stayed away," she finally stated, lookin' over towards me. "You stayed away... but I knew you were there... out there..."  
  
She gestured towards her window.  
  
"I was on duty..."  
  
"I knew you were there when you were off duty too. Why?"  
  
"I hadda make sure you were alright... an' doin' that was all that I had..."  
  
She was silent for a moment. An' together we watched the clock on the TV turn from 11:55 to 11:56. "He's gone to a party with his new girlfriend."  
  
Faith's comment seemed to come out of the blue. Which is why it took me a second before I turned to face her. Disbelief washed over my face. "He.. what?"  
  
"I told him I was goin' back to work. He an' I got into a big arguement. An' as the screamin' escalated, he tol' me that it didn't really matter anyway... that all the togetherness had been a test. That he's already been seein' someone else who will be a 'suitable' replacement as a wife for him... " she laughed, an' it was almost bitter. "Can you believe that? A -test-. Apparently.. I failed..."  
  
I had been so into her story, that I hadn't realized that it had turned to 11:58 while she was talkin'. "So he left you, on New Years Eve, to go to a party with her?"  
  
"He left me on Christmas Day to have dinner with her family too," she admitted, 'nother tear streamin' down her face.  
  
As the clock turned to 11:59, I had gathered her into my arms. An' as Times Square counted down to the year 2004, we did too. I whispered the numbers into her hair as the past year of discord seemed to melt away.  
  
We were far from bein' where we were before... but I guess we both knew that we could talk 'bout this... that I was gonna be there for her now. The dark times of our friendship and partnership were over.  
  
"Happy New Year, Faith," I whispered.  
  
An' for the first time since the holiday season started, I truely believed it would be.  
  
~*Fini*~ 


End file.
